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  5. 39130 Clairvaux-les-Lacs

  6. Prehistoric stations of Clairvaux-les-Lacs

 Prehistoric stations of Clairvaux-les-Lacs dans le Jura

Patrimoine classé
Sites archéologique
Jura

Prehistoric stations of Clairvaux-les-Lacs

    8-16 Rue du Sauveur
    39130 Clairvaux-les-Lacs
Stations préhistoriques de Clairvaux-les-Lacs
Stations préhistoriques de Clairvaux-les-Lacs
Stations préhistoriques de Clairvaux-les-Lacs
Crédit photo : Espirat - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1800
1900
2000
1835
First incidental discoveries
27 juin 1870
Identification by Jules Le Mire
17 septembre 1979
Historical Monument classification (stations III and IV)
29 février 1980
Ranking of the Motte-aux-Magnins
27 juin 2011
Registration at UNESCO
9 mars 2022
Registration of sites north and south
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Prehistoric stations Nos. III and IV (part) , places known as Rives du Lac and La Motte aux Magnins (Box AK 53, 102): classification by order of 17 September 1979 ; Submerged portions of prehistoric stations number III on the edge of Parcel AK 102, Place-dite La Motte aux Magnins, and IV partly bordering Parcels 53-171 and 172, Place-dite Rive du Lac and Le Grand Lac de Clairvaux (section AL): by order of 29 February 1980; The total palafitic sites located north and south of the Grand Lac on parcels 72, 74, 75 and 256, shown in the cadastre section AI, on parcels 56 to 91, 94, 95, 99 to 101, 126, 127, 150, 208 to 211, 226 to 23, 236, 256 to 258, 260, 272 and 273, shown in the cadastre section AK, on parcels 3, 24, 27, 75, 154, 161 and 162, shown in the cadastre section AL on parcels 8 to 19 and 58, shown in the cadastre section AM, as delimited in red on the plan annexed to the order: inscription by order of 9 March 2022

Key figures

Jules Le Mire - Master of forges and amateur archaeologist Identified the first stations in 1870.
Zéphyrin Robert - Conservator of the Lons-le-Saunier Museum The sites were expected to exist as early as 1858.
Abbé Bourgeat - Archaeologist and naturalist Analyzed wildlife and lithic exchanges.
F. Keller - Swiss archaeologist Theoretician of lake cities on stilts.
H. Reinerth - German archaeologist Proposed the hypothesis of terrestrial habitats.

Origin and history

The prehistoric stations of Clairvaux-les-Lacs form a major archaeological complex of Prehistory, composed of 18 palafittic sites around the Grand Lac de Clairvaux, in the Jura. These lake towns, dating from the Neolithic period, were discovered in 1835, but their formal identification as prehistoric habitats took place in 1870 by Jules Le Mire, master of local forges. Their exceptional state of conservation, favoured by acid peatlands, allowed to reveal organic objects (wood, pottery, tools) and architectural structures unique in France.

The geology of the site, modelled by the Jura glacier during the glaciation of Würm (115,000-11,700 BC), explains the formation of lakes and surrounding marshes. Fluctuations in the level of the Great Lake, studied via carbon 14 dates, showed alternating phases of transgression and regression between 6,500 and 2,500 B.C. These variations, linked to climate change, influenced the settlement of neolithic villages, often built during low lake levels.

The first systematic excavations were conducted by Jules Le Mire in 1870, revealing an artefact-rich "lacustrine manure" (polished stone axes, pottery, bone tools) on the Motte-aux-Magnins site. His work, interrupted by the Franco-Prussian war, confirmed the hypothesis of villages on stilts, inspired by Swiss discoveries. In the 19th century, other archaeologists such as Abbé Bourgeat analyzed the remains, highlighting a diverse local fauna (anglar, dog, beef) and distant exchanges for the supply of lithic materials.

The site was classified as Historic Monument in stages (1979 for stations III and IV, 1980 for Motte-aux-Magnins, 2022 for all the north and south areas). In 2011, he joined UNESCO's World Heritage List with 110 other Alpine Palafitic sites, recognizing its importance in understanding neolithic lifestyles. Today, the main threats include artificial drainages, wild embankments and tourist extension, despite a 103 ha buffer zone for protection.

Exhumed objects, such as a miniature beech canoe (XXXth century BC), illustrate the ingenuity of lake communities. Their conservation, entrusted to the ARC-Nucleart workshop in Grenoble, used modern techniques (lyophilization, PEG) to stabilize organic artifacts. The peaty sediments, unlike cray sites like Chalain, have preserved original colours and shapes, providing a rare testimony of craft techniques and prehistoric environment.

The scientific controversy over the nature of the "lacustrine cities" has long opposed two theories: that of F. Keller (villages on stilts above water) and that of H. Reinerth (habitat on land, protected from floods). Recent studies at Clairvaux IX confirmed an occupation during the lake regression phases, with villages partially flooded during seasonal high water. This site remains a reference for the study of human adaptations to wetlands in prehistoric Europe.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum